Fine Ramsay portrait of Scots lawyer at Bonhams annual Scottish sale

A fine portrait of John Campbell, Lord Stonefield, by the well known Scottish portrait painter Allan Ramsay, is one of the outstanding lots in Bonhams Scottish Sale Part I in Edinburgh on 20 August. It is estimated at £80,000 - 100,000.

John Campbell of Stonefield, better known as Lord Stonefield, was a prominent Scottish lawyer. The Ramsay portrait, regarded as one of the artist's finest, is notable for the assertive gaze of the sitter and the exquisite rendering of the intricate costume. It was painted in 1749, the year before Campbell's marriage to Lady Grace Stuart, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Bute, and the year after he was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates. He was appointed Lord of Session in 1762 and sat for 39 years on the bench until his death in 1801.

Lord Stonefield had seven sons, all of whom predeceased him. His second son was Colonel John Campbell who achieved fame as the defender of Mangalore during the Second Anglo-Mysore war. He held the fortress for eight months against the siege led by the famous Tiger of Mysore, Tipu Sultan.

The sale also features another Ramsay portrait painted in 1852 when he was coming to the end of his first and very successful London period. It shows a young army officer, George Glanville, wearing a red military coat and is estimated at £30,000-40,000.